Calla lily – Indoor House Plants

Calla lily makes awesome indoor house plant. It grows to around 12 to 36 inches tall and the blooms are shaped in the form of a funnel. While the white flowers are the most fragrant, it also comes in pink, red and yellow. The leaves can also be speckled or spotted and are relatively deer resistant. In frost-free climates, calla lily acts like a perennial, but in colder climates, it’s treated as a tender bulb that can be stored over the winter until the following spring. Or, use it as a houseplant in a sunny window. Calla Lilies are poisonous if consumed. Please keep it away from small children and pets.

Scientific Name: Zantedeschia aethiopica
Common Name: calla lily and arum lily.

How to grow and maintain Calla lily:

Light:
Guarantee your plant gets no less than 6 hours per day of indirect bright sunlight. Avoid direct sunlight to prevent the burning of the leaves and blossoms.

Soil:
Utilize a good peat moss based fertilized soil that is well aerated and drains quickly. You can add builder’s sand or perlite if the soil seems too heavy and clay-like.

Temperature:
Room temperatures should be between 50-75°F, 10-24°C, for ideal growth. Keep your plant away from air conditioning vents or heating.

Water:
Calla Lilies plants just love water, they support moist soil and are definitely not resistant to long dry spells. Remembering this you should never let your plants totally dry out. Try not to give this a chance to outdo you and turn the soil all soggy thereby drowning the plant.

Fertilizer:
Fluid compost or in an all the more appetizing term plant food rich in potassium but low in nitrogen should be used in a cyclic manner. This is very important and should be carried out especially if it is blooming.

Propagation:
Propagation of calla lilies should be possible in two ways – by rhizomes and by seeds. The least demanding route is to divide the rhizomes making sure each has roots and eyes attached.

Pests and diseases:
Calla lilies are no exception to pests and diseases. In terms of pests keeping weather, watch for scales or aphids may prove fruitful. These plants are also vulnerable to various bacterial and viral infections such as gray mold and rot. Calla lilies are most vulnerable when they are in the dormant stage.